First earthquake detected on Skeiðflöt geophonePosted on February 4, 2012 by Jón Frímann This here is the first earthquake that I properly detect on my new geophone at Skeiðflöt farm. This is an ML2.0 earthquake in Katla volcano caldera according to IMO automatic SIL network. Even if there is high noise level I was still able to record it clearly. I might have recorded smaller earthquakes already. But they do not appear clearly so it is hard for me to be sure at the moment if I actually recorded them due to high levels of background noise. This is promising for many reasons. It means that I can see earthquakes clearly even if there is high background noise level taking place at Skeiðflöt geophone. This also means that I am clearly going to see harmonic tremors and other events in Katla volcano, even in the glacier also. But this also depends on the noise level at the time. I do hope that the noise level is lower in summer then it is during the winter.

New earthquake swarm in El Hierro volcanoPosted on February 4, 2012 by Jón Frímann During the past few days there has been an earthquake swarm in El Hierro volcano in Canary Islands. Following this earthquake swarm there has been some increase in eruption activity. Resulting in some material reaching the surface of the ocean. The reason for this activity is that new magma is being injected into El Hierro volcano from depth. This magma is pushing the magma that is already there closer to the surface, creating dikes and sills in the rock along the way. This also increases the eruption in already open vents. I am expecting this activity to continue for some time now. As it seems that more magma is coming up from depth. How long that progress is going to last is impossible to know. When it stops, it does so and only then the activity in El Hierro volcano is going to stop.

At about 9:30 (local time) today, February 4, 2012, Geophysical Institute staff on a commercial flight was observed over the area of the volcano Tungurahua little column emission energy of about 1 kilometer above the level crater, with low to moderate ash content and direction of movement to the west.

According to reports issued by the Washington VAAC (Advisory Centre volcanic ash – [link to www.ssd.noaa.gov] VAAC / archive.html) the cloud generated at the beginning of this process reached between 7 and 8 km above the level of the crater and headed north-east and then turning south-east (see update 08:30 – February 4, 2012)

Seismic activity remains characterized by the constant generation of a tremor signal, but that varies between periods of high and low energy. This seismic activity is related to the generation of the constant column little energy emission with low to moderate ash content. At approximately 09:00 (local time) was received reports of ashfall Cevallos area, province of Tungurahua.Ash falls in eight villages in Ecuador after the Tungurahua volcano reactivation

The revival today of the Tungurahua volcano, located in central Andes of Ecuador, caused ashfall in eight villages near the colossus, Geophysical Institute reported.

The revival this morning led a column of emission of about 8 miles up that brought down the gravel in the towns of Bath, Pillate and Juive.

The Institute said in a statement that it has received reports of ash fall in Bathrooms, Pillate, Juive, Pondoa, Pelileo Guadalupe Cevallos and Patate.

Furthermore, this morning reported the decrease of muddy water by the streams of Mapayacu, Chontapamba and Achupashal.

The Tungurahua volcano of 5,016 meters high and located about 130 kilometers south of Quito, maintains its current eruptive process since 1999, time in which periods of high activity interspersed with periods of relative calm.

His last major activity was in late 2011 when the Government has activated the orange alert, the second over after the red intensity, which was put in place contingency plans and opened shelters, but failed to issue orders forced evacuation.

February 5, 2012 – MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) denied under water volcanoes caused the series of earthquakes in the Eastern Visayas starting Saturday night. This, as Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum Jr. pacified fears that volcanoes there would erupt anytime soon. Text messages started spreading last night that an underwater volcano is on the verge of erupting. This will supposedly cause a large tsunami. Local radio stations have already denied the information. Authorities there also said the information is untrue. A total of 70 aftershocks were recorded in the area ever since a magnitude 5.9 was recorded in the southeastern part of San Policarpio in Eastern Samar. Solidum told ABS-CBNnews.com that the cause of the earthquake was due to subduction. According to the US Geological Survey, subduction is the process of the oceanic lithosphere colliding with and descending beneath the continental lithosphere. No casualties have been recorded so far. – with a report from Geron Ponferra, ABS-CBN News Eastern Visayas. -ABS [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

New hot springs in Greenland after an earthquake (swarm?)Posted on February 5, 2012 by Jón Frímann While hot springs are in few areas of Greenland. They are not common and not as hot as those in Iceland. I do not know a lot about the details of geology of Greenland. So I am unsure on the details why there are hot springs in Greenland to start with. But this news is even more interesting for that exact reason.

According to the Greeland Radio new hot springs opened up in the village of Kangersuatsiaq of the west coast of Greenland. After an what appears to be swarm of earthquakes, with the largest one somewhere around ML2.9 to ML3.? (enough to sake people pictures on the wall). A new hot springs did open up following this earthquakes. The water seems to be around 20C to up 36C. It might be warmer, as details on this are few and little.

Best to my knowledge there is no known volcanoes in this area and have not been in the past ~65 million years or longer.

6.7 earthquake strikes: current seismicity in the Philippines as tectonic plate agitation increases

Posted on February 5, 2012

February 5, 2012 – PHILIPPINES – The Philippines, like Japan, sits in one of the most volatile tectonic areas on Earth but unlike Japan, the Philippines is under geological assault from plate movements on all sides. The Philippine plate is squeezed in between the Eurasian plate and the Pacific Plate, but the situation is more complex than that. The Philippine Islands are surrounded by complex plate boundaries, and the Philippines Plate rather consists of several micro-plates – squeezed in between two convergent plate margins. The lines with black triangles are active subduction zones with teeth on the over-riding plate. Lines with white triangles are passive subduction zones with teeth on the over-riding plate. The major Philippine fault zone is shown as a black line with arrows showing the movement direction. The volcanoes Pinatubo and Mayon are shown as red dots. The volcanoes of the Philippines are probably the most deadly in world. Both Pinatubo and Mayon are both capable of producing VEI6 type eruptions. Because the moon’s tidal influence is so great in the Pacific, volcanologists warned in 2006 that Mount Mayon could explode at any time and that the gravitational pull of a full moon could provide the final push. A full moon coincided with at least three of Mayon’s nearly 50 explosions over the last four centuries, including the two most recent in 2000 and 2001. The volcanoes are concentrated in a northern volcanic arc above and east of the north-western subduction zone (Manila Trench) and in a southern volcanic arc above and west of the south-eastern subduction zone (Philippine trench).The Sulu trench also produce a (discontinuous) line of active volcanoes. The Mayon volcano may be associated with the transform fault that connects the eastern and the western subduction zones. This transform fault is offset by the younger north-south directed Philippine Fault. The Eurasian Plate is being subducted along the western side of Luzon and Mindoro at a rate of 3cm/year. The Philippine Fault Zone decouples the northwestward motion of the Pacific with the southwestward motion of the Eurasian Plate. Movements along other active faults are responsible for the present-day high seismicity of the Philippine Archipelago. –The Extinction Protocol

A 6.8 (6.7 downgraded by USGS) magnitude earthquake, at a depth at 29 miles, struck off the Philippines on Monday, northeast of Dumaguete, Negros island, at 0349 GMT, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that based on all available data a Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected. [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

February 6, 2012 – INDONESIA - A slight increase in activity of Semeru volcano’s activity has been observed by the Indonesian Geological Survey in recent weeks and its alert level was raised to 3 (out of 4, watch) on 3 February 2012, after it had been on level 2 since 16 July 2009. Only small to moderate eruptions had been occurring over most of the past year. Between 29 December and 15 January, 8 explosions were counted which produced ash clouds up to 600 m high. One explosion threw incandescent bombs to a distance of 300 m from the Jonggring Seloko crater. During 15-29 January, only weak explosions were recorded and a small steam and ash plume rising 25-50 m was observed. Between 30 and 31 January, 5 explosions were recorded. They produced incandescent fallout in up to 400 m distance. On 2 February at 07:47 local time, a stronger explosion produced incandescent bombs that reached 750 m distance and caused a small avalanche of blocks rolling down a distance of up to 2.5 km. The heightened activity triggered the raise in alert level the following day. At its present status level of 3, PVMBG recommends to stay away at least 4 km from the summit on the SE side of the volcano and climbers are advised not to approach the Jonggring Seloko crater less than 1 km. As of 6 February, no significant changes to its activity have been reported by our correspondent on location. –Volcano Discovery [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

The scientist Ramon Ortiz, earlier this week in El Hierro, where he travels frequently to analyze the evolution of the volcanic process.

Silvia Fernandez / La Restinga

The expert said that CSIC volcanism in iron have been two eruptive since July, south and north. estimated that now we have a third phase of recovery that could end in another mouth. in Lanzarote and Tenerife is no record of eruptions with pauses for years.

- What time is the eruption of La Restinga? - An emission center is running out. You can take an average of fifteen days, ten or twenty-five be, but is in the final. And do not think there is a revival because the tide slows a magma that has no pressure to leave. But the party continues. - What do you mean? - We have detected two weeks ago a revival of the phenomenon to be monitored because if the trend continues it could result in a new eruptive locus. - However, since IGN is noted that the current seismicity response to a tectonic realignment after the eruption - This is tectonic seismicity. It has nothing to do. We work with models and of course now this seismicity does not conform to a model of relaxation. Was adjusted until Christmas and from mid-January has ceased to be a model of relaxation and appears to be reviving again, who is serving the same pattern of July. What will culminate in an eruption?, Do not know. What is on land or near the coast and see?, Do not know. But for the CSIC are now in a third cycle. - A third phase? - Yes The first began in July and ended in October, with the eruption of La Restinga. The second cycle was shorter. Began in October when many earthquakes accumulated after the eruption, and ended between 4 and 11 November. Time when we understand that there was a new focus of eruption to the north, in very deep water and not seen. Only observed for the signals that we saw in the system. And now, she is producing a third cycle, which could also stop erupting. - Seismicity What about now? - The magnitudes are very small. Of 2, 2.4 and up 2.8 degrees. Is having around 15 earthquakes per day in the north and in south, the latter being smaller. Furthermore, the deformation of 5 mm, has not subsided. If it goes below the island should deflate and return to baseline. As for gas, takes ITER, but according to them again increased CO2 emissions. This implies that increased fracturing and Co2 comes from magma. It’s another thing that confirms that the story is not over. - Are there cases in other rash Canary cycles? - Of course. In Lanzarote, Timanfaya, lasted six years with many pauses. And in Tenerife have come to take three eruptions in a year. If the intrusion of magma is very large increases the possibility of new mouths. - How much magma speak in this case and how much you have left in the mouth of La Restinga? - At first there was talk of 100 million cubic meters, which is not much. But then very large earthquakes occurred, more than 4.5. To compress the rock so the volume should be increased and we esteemed him in a cubic kilometer, that to give you an idea is like a stone 500 kilos per capita in the world (6.8 million). As for what has gone, but not known exactly, we estimate that 240 cubic meters. Are 820, but does not have to leave everything. - What do you think Ramon Ortiz is going to happen? - I’ll answer in order of probability. First, seismic activity is picking up. If this is accelerated again have large earthquakes, which could happen in 20 days and then you can open a new broadcast center in two or three months. Second, it may happen that the activity ceases, no more and that the magma is down. - The hypothesis of a new eruption can cause some alarm. - We are not pessimistic and do not want to scare anyone but we have to consider all scenarios to work with the worst possible. It tries to anticipate what might happen and so far we have done well because they have met all our forecasts. We are in favor of reporting what is really going to educate. In any case, although this new eruption reached need not happen anything. If you pass will know well in advance .. [link to volcanocafe.wordpress.com]

February 7, 2012 – MARIANA ISLANDS - We have a source that provides weekly (or more) reports when something is rumbling in the Northern Mariana Islands, mostly for the benefit of people living on the islands and any air traffic in the region. The population of the CNMI is fairly low, ~53,000 people, and dispersed across many islands, so the volcanoes are not a threat to any large population center, but they are definitely active and potentially dangerous. One of the more active volcanoes in the Mariana Islands chain is Pagan on the island of the same name (see above). The island itself is actually two volcanoes – North and South Pagan – both of which were built inside calderas. Most of the recent activity has been from North Pagan, although eruptions from South Pagan occurred in 1864 (and possibly in 1929). Although most of the activity from North Pagan is fairly minor – VEI 1-2 explosive events – 1981 did see an VEI 4 eruption that produced explosions and lava flows. This means that keeping an eye on the current activity on Pagan is well worth our time. The latest report from Pagan notes a ~3 km/10,000 foot plume from the volcano that is mostly steam, although various reports suggest there might be small amounts of ash mixed in. As mentioned in the report, Pagan has no permanent ground monitoring, so all the reports are from either remote sensing via satellite or pilot’s reports as they pass near the island. Due to these plumes, Pagan has been on Yellow Alert status (Advisory) since October 2011. The largest eruption in the recent past in the Northern Mariana Islands was from Anatahan in 2003, the first historic eruption of that volcano, showing that even the quieter volcanoes need to be watched. –Wired [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]